Number: 2007-15
WHEREAS, navigable rivers have been declared public waters of the United States; and
WHEREAS, hunting, fishing, boating, and furharvesting are activities that led to such waters being declared navigable rivers; and
WHEREAS, recreational users have a right to access these resources that is rooted in federal common law, the Federal Navigational Servitude, the Public Trust Doctrine, the United States Constitution and several state constitutions; and
WHEREAS, protection of navigable waters for public use is vital to the conservation of those waters; and
WHEREAS, a 2006 ruling by a Judge of the United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana, excludes hunting and fishing as legal activities below the ordinary high water mark on navigable waters;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled March 30-31, 2007, in Washington, D.C., supports the rights of public use on navigable waters of the United States up to the ordinary high water mark of such waters; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled March 30-31, 2007, in Washington, D.C., urges the Congress, the states, the Secretary of the Interior and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take the necessary actions to affirm and establish laws and regulations ensuring the rights of public use on navigable waters of the United States up to the ordinary high water mark of such waters.